The invention relates to an extinguishing-medium container according to the precharacterizing clause of Patent claim 1 and a system according to the precharacterizing clause of Patent claim 12. The invention pertains to industries for manufacturing fire-extinguishing equipment and extinguishing-medium containers, in particular equipment designed for supplying extinguishing medium to a seat of fire for a relatively long period of time, such as, for example, for 3-20 seconds. However, the invention is not limited to this industry but can also be applied to, for example, the vehicle industry and the construction industry. Various types of fire-extinguishing system are in use today in, for example, vehicles, buildings etc., which systems comprise the said fire-extinguishing equipment adapted for mechanical, manual and also semi-automatic and fully automatic systems.
Fire-extinguishing equipment is often used in engine and hydraulic spaces in vehicles and also in spaces under the compartment of the vehicle. The problem with the fire-extinguishing equipment which exists today is inter alia that it is not possible to install this equipment in an appropriate manner in the said spaces. This is due to the fact that vehicles today, to a greater extent than previously, have less space available for internal equipment. Internal components are therefore positioned closely together in vehicles, which means that it is difficult to find room for conventional fire-extinguishing equipment. A vehicle manufacturer must likewise take account of the fact that the extinguishing-medium container has to be placed in an essentially upright position so as, in the event of fire, to meet the requirements for optimum emptying by means of what are known as rising pipes arranged in the containers. This involves time-consuming work, on the one hand for the installation of such fire-extinguishing equipment and on the other hand for the vehicle design work.
Fire-extinguishing equipment exists today with extinguishing-medium containers designed so as also to accommodate a propellant gas. These also have integrated actuating devices which are often of complex design. Document WO 96/36398 discloses a fire-extinguishing apparatus which is designed to accommodate highly pressurized extinguishing medium in such a way that mist formation takes place on actuation. With this apparatus, water can be used as the extinguishing medium, which is advantageous from the environmental point of view. The problem with this construction is that it is not tailored to confined spaces, for example in a vehicle, and that the extinguishing-medium container is pressurized by propellant gas, which makes the construction more expensive and more complicated to handle.
In the vehicle design work, the vehicle manufacturer therefore has to take account to a greater extent than previously of bulky fire-extinguishing equipment and leave a larger space free in the vehicle in order for it to be possible to find room for such fire-extinguishing equipment. Some fire-extinguishing equipment is also complicated to deal with as far as refilling with extinguishing medium is concerned, which makes handling more expensive.